The most successful coaches who are brothers have again led their teams into the National Football League postseason. This time, they won’t be meeting in the Super Bowl, like they did to complete the 2012 season, but both are favored to advance to the Divisional Round when they open their postseasons on Saturday.
John and Jim Harbaugh won’t be meeting in the Super Bowl this year because this time they are both coaching American Football Conference squads. In 2012, John was with the Baltimore Ravens but his older brother, Jim, guided the National Football Conference San Francisco 49ers.
This time, John is still running the show in Baltimore, but after a successful run at the college level, he guided the Michigan Wolverines to a National Championship last year, Jim returned to the NFL while taking over the Los Angeles Chargers. It was a welcomed relief for the Chargers, who seemed to have the talent to advance deep in the playoffs in recent seasons but not the coaching to get them over the hump.
In fact, the highly touted Chargers quarterback, Justin Herbert, is still looking for his first postseason win in his fifth pro season. In his only playoff game, his Chargers surrendered a huge second half lead two years ago and lost on the road to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Not only is Herbert one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but his team also allowed the fewest points in the NFL this season.
A seemingly unbeatable combination when Los Angeles travels to Houston to meet the Texans in the first of three NFL games scheduled for Saturday: